The Q4 holidays are hitting us like a steamroller! Some days are “peace on earth,”while other days it seems like everyone’s tinsel’s in a tangle! Fortunately, we have the Society of American Florists keeping us on track, with their national Petal It Forward campaign and their brand new set of SAF initiatives for 2019. You will not want to miss this information inside! One of the biggest in-store initiatives for Q4 is to convert store décor from the dog days... Read more

One of the best ways to prepare for Petal It Forward is to strategically select the location and time for your event. Start by scouting locations such as pedestrian malls, coffee shops, outside large office buildings and restaurants during the busy morning rush or lunch hour. Check with your city to inquire if permission is needed to hand out flowers in public areas. Since 2015, the Society of American Florists has led the industry in Petal It Forward. During this... Read more

Succulents are some of the trendiest plants around. You often see them featured in magazines, blogs, and on Pinterest. Succulents offer a wonderful array of colors and textures. Plus, they’re easy to grow indoors. Because of their special ability to retain water, succulents tend to thrive in warm, dry climates and don’t mind a little neglect. This makes them well adapted to indoor growing and ideal for people desiring low-maintenance houseplants. Share these tips... Read more

This is frightening! This is scary! Is it Halloween? No! IT’S MANAGING PERFORMANCE AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK! I recently had the opportunity to interact with retailers, wholesalers, and growers in the floral industry. Many of them talked about the “drama” they endure with some of their employees. I know Halloween is right around the corner; this is not a horror film, simply a drama, and sometimes a comedy… of errors. When I asked what the business leaders meant... Read more

Poinsettias received their name in the United States in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant into the country in 1828. Poinsett was a botanist, physician and the first United States Ambassador to Mexico. He sent cuttings of the poinsettia plant he had discovered in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, SC. The word Poinsettia is traditionally capitalized because it is named after a person. Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant... Read more

The American Floral Endowment, the national organization that funds floral research, scholarships, grants, and internships, kicked off its 2019 fall fundraiser, “Fill the Vase,” at their 43rd Annual Fundraising and Recognition Dinner on Sept. 19. Nearing their 60th year, the Endowment provides practical solutions to tough industry challenges through research and programs that bring top talent to the floral industry. AFE-funded programs are the result... Read more

burton+BURTON is pleased to announce the completion of the first school in Rwanda funded by Weaving Hope. This charitable mission has been in progress for two years, from conception to fulfillment through the sale of 600 baskets that ultimately lead to the construction of the school. Three hundred people from the community attended the dedication, including the Archbishop of Rwanda and local government officials. The area around the preschool has been transformed... Read more

Alexandra Farms was recently awarded four ribbons for their garden rose varieties during the Society of American Florists’ 2019 Outstanding Varieties Competition. Princess Hitomi (Beautiful History) Each year, hundreds of entries are evaluated by a team of three judges on the following criteria: color and commercial appeal; stem and foliage; bloom form; bloom size; and overall quality and presentation. Recognition in the competition carries weight with buyers,... Read more

Alexandra Farms is thrilled to announce the winners of their second annual Garden Rose Design Contest. Participation was even higher this year than for the first edition of the contest. Hundreds of entries were submitted by designers in 37 countries around the world. Ranging widely in style, the submissions are truly inspiring with the creative use of color, texture and form — proof that garden roses and floral artistry are a perfect match. World Contest First... Read more

Here we are — in the throes of summer heat — planning our winter wonderlands for the upcoming holiday season! Some may say that we’ve been hitting the eggnog a little early, but we all know the importance of the Christmas season and the impact that well-planned merchandising can have on the success of the holiday, as a whole. Indeed, the face of Christmas selling continues to evolve, with the most significant changes occurring in the past ten years. Black Friday... Read more

What kind of selling is done in your shop? Yes, that’s right… what kind of selling? This weekend while running errands, I stopped in a local restaurant for lunch and was immediately greeted, “Welcome to...”, which seemed to catch on like wildfire. I’m sure the restaurant’s intent was to immediately acknowledge their customer and make them feel welcome, but it got me thinking about the different experiences that customers receive and how a warm welcome shouldn’t... Read more

Delaware Valley Floral Group has announced the acquisition of certain assets of C.P. Flowers Direct, Inc, and has opened a new Distribution Center on Long Island in New York. The new facility is located at 923 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, NY. The C.P. Flowers Direct business has been integrated into DVFlora, an operating division of DVFG. C.P. Flowers Direct was started in 2006 by Claire Penney, providing cut flowers to the flower shops, florists and wedding and... Read more

Maxine H. Burton was recognized as a 2019 Shining Star Honoree by the Jeannette Rankin Foundation.   Maxine BurtonA Shining Star Honoree is a leader in the Athens community commended for using their time, talents, and passion to lift up women and girls in all aspects of life, including skills development, economic development, or business experience. They are a true star for making those around them better by their work. The Jeannette Rankin Women’s... Read more

We’ve walked together. We’ve talked together. We’ve worked together. On Sept. 7, our floral industry lost a beloved member of the pack. Danny Temkin made enduring contributions to the success of our collective businesses   and left indelible marks on each of our hearts.   Danny TemkinBorn in Montevideo, Uruguay on Dec. 13, 1951, Danny moved to Israel at the age of twelve. After spending time in Navy High School, the Navy and Merchant Marines,... Read more

Next month, from Nov. 6-8, Holland will be the host country of the IFTF trade event for the world’s floriculture industry. IFTF will be held again at Expo Haarlemmermeer in Vijfhuizen, almost next door to its neighbor Schiphol, Amsterdam’s International Airport. Despite the numerous obstacles faced by many other industries, IFTF is celebrating its 10th edition and still growing. The world’s economic growth has been slowing down since last year and is obviously... Read more

According to the company’s announcement, Bay City Flowers will close its doors and cease shipping on Nov. 10. “After four generations and 110 glorious years in floriculture, we at Bay City Flower Co. have decided that the time has come for us to wind down the selling of our flowers,” said Bay City CEO Harrison Higaki in a prepared release. Citing the increased difficulty in operating a national flower farm “in the costliest place in the nation,” the company... Read more

Labor, rising costs, intense competition and the need to understand and adopt new technologies are among the most significant challenges facing floral professionals today — and industry members, now more than ever, need targeted support to overcome these challenges and continue to grow and thrive. During the ‘State of the Industry — and SAF’ address in September, SAF CEO Kate Penn laid out the challenges the industry faces and how SAF is evolving to better meet... Read more

2019 Industry Events OCTOBER 2019 October 16th-October 19th PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California More Information: https://www.pma.com/events/freshsummit October 23rd- October 24th, 2019 Flower and Perishable Logistics Africa Radisson Blu Hotel Kenya, Nairobi More Information: www.logupdateafrica.com/fla2019/ October 30th-November 3rd Johannesburg International Flower Show Mall of Africa Waterfall City,... Read more

This month’s edition of the Floral Pulse will literally take you around the world! That’s what’s so great about our business — every single growing region is uniquely gifted in its own right with the perfect product for our customers. And be sure to read about the upcoming trade shows: PMA, Proflora, SAF and TPIE, plus many other important events around the world! Do you need one complete resource of all industry trade shows throughout the year? Well, you’ve come... Read more

In many regions of North America, the landscape silently explodes with vibrant colors of red, yellow, and orange. For weeks, summer has slowly been slipping away. There are so many reasons to love fall. The weather is changing, leaves are turning colors, and it tends to give off a sense of anticipation for things to come. School starts, and the holidays are just around the corner. This year, the first day of fall will take place on Monday, September 23, for those... Read more